Hey you, sitting there wishing for something, anything to fill the emptiness inside. Or maybe you are pretty happy about life right now but feel there is something more that can be done to make it better. We’ve all had those days, the good and the bad and the somewhere in-between. How do we go about making each just a little better?
Maybe Today by David Butler and Emily Belle Freeman is a small, short book that packs a powerful life changing punch. Instead of providing a to-do list of things to change in your life it suggests five patterns of simple living that are more than life changing. They are soul-satisfying. Each holy pattern of living points one to Jesus Christ. “He knows your heart. Live your life so you can come to know HIS.”
This book can be read in one sitting but I don’t recommend it. It’s best read in small doses, studying one pattern of living with time set aside to apply and live that pattern in your own life. What holy patterns are suggested?
* Tilt Your Soul
* Let Down Your Bucket
* Tune Your Heart
* Take Off Your Shoes
* Be All In
While there is nothing new in the patterns of living the stories and insights shared give new meaning and life to the patterns. I’ll give examples of two my favorites.
“When air is flowing over something – like a plane wing at high speeds – the tilt of the wing becomes crucial. If the wing is tilted down, it causes DESCENT. If the wing is tilted up, it causes LIFT. Everything depends on the TILT of the wing. Such a simple switch can change the outcome so drastically.” (pgs. 14-15)
We are taught to tilt our souls upward to Christ so we can be lifted. That is beautiful to me.
The story of Moses and the burning bush is used to teach us gratitude, to take off our shoes and see the holy ground upon which we walk.
“GRATITUDE….
views the world the way God intends it to be seen.” (pg. 74)
Suddenly, the fact that I love to walk barefoot in my home surrounded by my favorite people in the world takes on new meaning for I truly am grateful for both my family and my home.
I loved reading this book and trying to apply the patterns with renewed efforts in my life. Each page is filled with beautiful photographs that support the text and bring beauty to your reading. I find myself repeating the various phrases throughout my day depending on what I need to work on right at that moment. “Let down your bucket” and “Be all in” seem to be the ones I need to work on the most.
I’d love to share this book with one of you! Right in the back of the book it says, “This book is meant to be shared. We want you to give it away.” Surprise! I’m going to do just that.
To enter the giveaway just leave a comment sharing one way you have helped multiply goodness in the past couple of weeks. Have you held the door open for a stranger? Shared a meal? Sent an email or text to encourage another? Giveaway ends at 5pm PST on Tuesday, Aug. 18th.
The winner of the giveaway is Tammy who entered the first comment! Look for an e-mail from me, Tammy. Congrats!
Both Freeman and Butler can be found at the wonderfully uplifting website Multiply Goodness. It’s on my favorites list on Feedly so I can be sure to see any new blog updates. With the tagline, “Gather good. Pass it on. Multiply goodness.” you know you will be inspired and uplifted daily!
About the Authors
EMILY BELLE FREEMAN is a coach’s wife, a mother to four children and a few others who have found refuge in her home, author of several bestselling books, and sought-after inspirational speaker. Her days are spent watching over teenagers, her flock of pampered chickens, and a rabbit that she adores. She finds great joy in studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Her deep love of the scriptures comes from a desire to find their application in everyday life. For a few minutes every day Emily forgets about the laundry, leaves the dishes in the sink, and writes.
DAVID BUTLER is by day a high school religious educator sharing his love for the scriptures and his belief that there is a power for good innate in every human soul. By night he is a fort builder, waffle maker, sports coach, and storyteller for his five favorite little people, also known as his children. Somewhere in between he is a motivational speaker and writer. Some of his musings and challenges can be found on the blog www.multiplygoodness.com. He and his wife, Jenny, live with their family amid the snowcapped peaks of the Mountain West, but they often dream of a beach house on a sunny shore somewhere.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of Maybe Today to read and review. All opinions are my own.
I try to be nice to everyone, hold doors open for people and say hi to people and have a good day. When I do that I feel like I am making someone day by doing that.
Tammy, you are the winner! Random.org picked your comment. Look for an e-mail from me. Congrats!
One thing that I have been doing is getting my niece and nephews to their activities at church because their dad works! I love seeing them so happy to go!
We just finished up the county fair. It has been a long summer of driving my 13yod half an hour round trip and then sitting in the car for an hour and a half while she walks her sheep with her friend. Spending so much time in the car wasn’t my idea of summer, but it was a wonderful experience for my daughter. We’re hooked – we’ll do it again next year!
I have a friend who lost one leg below the knee. I love to help her walk to and from classes at church. She leans on me and it helps her walk with less pain. I was appalled to see that all the handicap stalls in the parking lot were full when she arrived last week – and she had to walk further to get to the building, so after meetings I went out and moved her car closer. It really wasn’t much, but I was so glad I could help in some meaningful way.
I have been emailing a friend who has had to be separated from her home and family because of a health issue. She has had to be away from home for nine months now, and it’s been heartbreaking for her.
Every day I’m trying to be an example to my kids of how not to be… I mean, how we can start over each day and try again to be the kind of people Jesus wants us to be. To act and not be acted upon. When they come to me and say their brother “made” them mad, I point out to them that it’s their choice whether they become mad or not. I try to give the words to describe how they’re really feeling and how they can deal with it. When the baby throws his bowl of applesauce all over the floor and walls, I feel like screaming, but I check myself, and calmly explain to my older boys how frustrated I am and how tired it makes me to have to clean it all up. They’re more likely to reach out with sympathy and offer help when I do this. When I yell and clean it up in a huff, they’re more likely to scatter and sadly, more likely to react in a similar way when things go wrong.
So though I don’t go out of my way to do service projects per se, I am hopefully multiplying goodness X4 in my home by striving to be a good example, and by pointing out that even when we are less than perfect we can always repent and keep trying.
I make sure the people I work with know that I appreciate what they do and that I am grateful for their efforts and expertise. I just wrote a few notes today in fact.
I have fed my new born baby as a way to share goodness. She has brought love and light straight from heaven into our home and I have taken care of her and the other children.
I recently had twins and received many freezer meals–such a blessing! This week I was able to give some freezer meals to a friend who has 2 year twins herself but is on bed rest with her singleton pregnancy. It was so nice to be able to pass on the goodness after being the recipient of so much good.
So much goodness!! I love all your comments and the good you are doing in the world to help lift other to Christ, including have new babies and still finding time to blog and give away books!! Seriously Monserrat? Good for you!!
I have just been having my seminary kids put together candy grams to deliver to all of our students who should be attending seminary, while not strangling my four-year old who keeps trying to eat their candy, which he is allergic to.
But we ‘just keep swimming….’ right?! Have a great day, Cranial Hiccups’ community
I was able to spend time with my grandpa. That always means a lot to both of us.
I swam with my sons, sat by the campfire and talked with my daughter, biked with my husband, fixed oh-so-much food for my family, read to my youngest, tried to have patience and teach when my kids bickered. Just the things that we moms do every day. The little things that we don’t even realized make a big difference.
I’m trying to listen more and talk less. Especially with my teenagers.
I LOVE Emily Freeman and David Butler! I would love to win this book to pass on a dear friend. (I would like to read it as well…but think it would be especially helpful as she faces some difficult trials.). I have taken meals to two members of my ward and watched a neighbor’s child.
I offered to draw for a friend a portrait of her cat that is dying of cancer. She loves that cat. I’m just trying to focus more on seeing the needs of others and filling them if I can.
Today a group of friends with our kids took a tour of a local ice cream plant/farm. One mom had two little girls, a baby which she wore and a rambunctious almost three year old. The little girl just wanted to explore and do her own thing rather than stay with the group and this mother was so frustrated and near tears. Knowing how she felt I was able to help her out and carry her daughter through the tour and let her know that we have all had those days. And while I was helping her others stepped in to hold my almost two year old when she needed help.